-Outer-lands-
… 'Guard Branch' ….
("tap.")
("tap...")
("tap…")
"..."
Xavier eyes peel open ever so slowly.
("tap.")
("tap...")
("tap…")
"…"
It's uncharacteristically warm.
("tap.")
("tap...")
("tap…")
But a gentle breeze still blows…
("tap.")
("tap...")
("tap…")
"What's that sound?"
Xavier thinks
("tap.")
("tap...")
("tap…")
"It's like a leaky faucet…"
("tap.")
("tap...")
("tap…")
Xavier strains to look up.
His eyes feel awfully heavy…
("!!!")
"ah!"
Xavier exclaims in pain
Squinting his eyes as a sudden surge of pain hits his ribs.
But before he can figure out where the pain is coming from…
Something catches his eye.
… "A man?" ...
Hang from the ceiling.
Kept up only by the cuffs on his wrists…
"father?"
Xavier calls confused.
"FATHER!!!"
He shouts
Recognizing the man
("CLANK!!!!!!")
The sound of metal being pulled reverberates in the room
Xavier.
In a quick jerk reaction…
Was pulled back to the ground.
"w-what the?!?"
He thinks looking to his feet
He is bound.
Much like his father…
But unlike him.
He is bound to the floor.
Chains around his wrists and ankles.
"I see you're finally awake..."
A familiar voice says…
Xavier turns his head quickly back towards his father and Is met with a silhouette of a man shivering to hold a smile.
"Xavi…"
His father says…
The bloodstained white of his eyes and teeth the only thing visible about him...
"…"
-silence-
"…"
"f-fa…"
Xavier is tries to respond to his father but can't.
Stunned by the image in front of him.
"j-just hold on I'll find a way to get us out of ...."
He mumbles disheartened.
Looking away half in belief of what he just said
And half trying to piece things together…
"…"
-silence-
"…"
"Hehe..."
His father tries to laugh
"You're more level headed than I thought..."
He says
"Your mom would be--"
"FA--"
Xavier and his father cancel each other out.
"…"
-silence-
"…"
"what's going on?"
Xavier thinks puzzled
"Just a second ago I was…"
He thinks trying to remember
Just then.
The sun peels into the room for the first time.
And the secrets that lay hidden in this room are exposed.
His father.
Or more correctly his father's body...
From the deep lashes that tattoo his chest and thighs exposing his inner nerves.
To the nauseating bend of his fingers and toes…
And purple decorating swollen his joints…
He was tortured.
"FA!"
"Quiet Xavier 'they'll' hear you..."
Xavier is about to when his cut off by his father…
And as panic and adrenaline course through him.
A simple realization dawns on him.
Chains....
An empty room housing only the two of them...
Battered and bruised bodies...
And finally an uncomfortable feeling like danger lurking around the corner…
"…"
"r-right..."
Xavier whispers back distraught.
Incapable of meeting eyes with the man who raised him
"…"
-silence-
"…"
"Now listen to me Xavi…"
His father begins
"We don't have much time..."
He says as Xavier winces at every words
Biting down on his lip to stop from shaking
"There's some stuff you need to know."
His father says
"So if you could just--"
"Wait…"
Xavier says cutting him off
"Xa--"
"I SAID WAIT!!!"
He shouts
"…"
-silence-
"…"
"Father…"
Xavier says
"w-why am I chained to the floor?"
He asks
"a-and what happened to you?"
He asks breaking into a panic attack
"I mean last I remember I was…"
He says
"I was…"
"…"
-silence-
"…"
… ("tap…") …
"Where's Lucy?"
Xavier asks sombrely a single tear dropping from his eye
"…"
-silence-
"…"
"Maybe I gave you too much credit..."
His father responds sombrely…
Xavier looks away once more as his body begins to shake and shiver all over, the tears flowing a constant.
"…"
-silence-
"…"
(deep breath) "My name is Victor Siyah."
Victor begins
"What??"
Xavier asks looking to Victor
"The first and oldest child of the current 'Damion' of The Beneath 'Valdis Siyah'."
Victor continues, ignoring Xavier.
"grandfather??"
Xavier thinks.
"What are you--"
"As you can probably guess that means I'm not from around here."
Victor says ignoring him once more
"Fa--"
"I'm from a place North of here."
"'The Beneath'."
He says
"What is he--"
Xavier thinks
"Not that I am proud of it…"
Victor smiles lightly
"DAD!!!"
"I need you to hear this Xavier!"
Victor raises his voice stunning Xavier
"…"
-silence-
"…"
"I know this probably sounds like gibberish to you but…"
Victor begins
"But it's very important that you listen to me."
He says.
"Can you do that for me Xavier?"
Victor asks staring into Xavier's eyes who nods back a little frightened but accepting.
"Good."
He says.
"…"
-silence-
"…"
(sighs) "Now where did I end…"
He mumbles to himself
"The Beneath…"
He mutters
"'The Beneath' is the name of the place I grew up in…"
Victor says facing Xavier
"It's actual name is the Willow City but no one calls it that anymore."
He says
"But that's because a couple decades ago the place was destroyed by a great family who just can't seem to let the past be just that…"
He says getting angrier with every word.
"…"
"The past."
He pauses trying to regain his composure
"…"
"That family…"
He says
"My family…"
"…"
-silence-
"…"
(deep breath) "The House Siyah gained its infamy from centuries upon centuries of violent and evil acts."
Victor begins again composure regained
"Long ago..."
"When the Tanggal continent was split into two regions…"
He says
"The Tanggal continent was ruled over by two main houses.
He says
"House Siyah and House Beyaz."
He says
"However…"
"Unlike their rivals in the South, House Siyah was more known for being overly aggressive and ruthless."
He says
"Completely annihilating any groups and houses they found along the way."
"Sparing only those who were strong."
He says
"Why you ask?"
"It was all to fulfil the foolish dream of the first Damion."
He says
"To make his House."
"His family the strongest bloodline on the planet."
He says
"…"
"The first Damion believed he was perfect human."
"That his family was perfect."
Victor says
"But even with all his confidence he still felt the need to prove his theory."
"To prove his beliefs."
He says
"And so."
"To create a master race that would conquer all."
"He incorporated strong families into his own."
"Mixing his 'perfect' blood with that of his conquered foes."
"And forcing his children and family to do the same."
"This carried on for decades."
"All for the sake of creating a perfect race all bred from his blood and any other he deemed could be a threat to his own."
"And it worked oddly enough."
Victor says coming to a short pause.
(sighs) "But like I said two Houses dominated this continent…"
"And eventually due to their rapid conquests of all the Outer-lands these families would eventually clash."
"But every time they did the massive bloodsheds would eradicate everyone but the main branch families."
"So…"
"Frustrated with his failure to prove himself above all mankind he devised a plan."
"And as history would tell the much more gullible and kind leader of the Beyaz would fall because of it."
"The plan."
"A joining of the two families as truce to end the wars was accepted by the Beyaz head."
"But when time came to sign the treaty."
"The Damion attacked the heart of the Beyaz."
"Killing and massacring his wife and children."
"The Beyaz head blinded by grief and revenge waged war and died as a result."
"House Siyah had conquered all of the Outer-lands…"
Victor pauses
"But the first's ambition saw no end."
"And having conquered the outer-lands he sought more…"
"The world."
"Unfortunately for him though his own allies deemed him much too dangerous to allow to live."
"And a coalition army was formed with the neighbouring continents to strike him down."
"And as he fell and the House Siyah was finally defeated."
"Its remnants and the different children he had survived by striking a deal with the leaders of the coalition."
"They offered their unparalleled battle experience and strength for hire as mercenaries."
"And while a couple of the leaders opposed the deal."
"They were outnumbered by the corrupt leaders who saw this as an opportunity to use the Siyah strength to grasp at the now empty throne of the Tanggal continent."
"What followed is the house Black we know today."
"A bunch of blood thirsty mercenaries who kill for money."
He pauses.
"The people who attacked our home are called the Blades."
"They are the current House Siyah's personal army and take orders from the Damion himself."
Victors says
"They attacked the Oasis because…"
"Because I was here."
He says
"But rather than attack us because I deserted my family and moved here to get away from all the problems that carrying my last name holds."
"They did it because i, Victor Siyah am a former Blade and Captain of their first squad."
He says
"Huh??"
Xavier exclaims in shock looking up to his father who stares back at him with cold eyes.
"…"
-silence-
"…"
(deep breath) "And because I, Victor Siyah…"
Victor says staring up to the ceiling.
"Planned to usurp my father of the Siyah throne…"
"…"
"…"
-To Be Continued-